
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


In this episode of Spirit Box, I am joined by Dr Andrew Manns to discuss his forthcoming book, Aradia’s Hidden Hand: The Untold Life of Roma Lister (Hexen Press, September release).
The conversation explores Roma Lister’s overlooked role in Victorian spiritualism and the occult, from her collaborations with Charles Godfrey Leland—including her involvement in the famous Aradiamanuscript—to her contributions as a folklorist, occult writer, and mentor. Dr Manns traces her connections with Italian folk witchcraft and prominent figures such as Baroness Julia Rosencrantz, and her experimental blend of séances, folk magic, and Theosophy.
Andrew also shares fresh insights into Leland’s influence on modern witchcraft, particularly how Aradia shaped Doreen Valiente’s Wiccan rituals, as well as his own discovery of newly uncovered correspondences between Leland and Lister.
This is a show rich with the hidden histories of folklore, witchcraft, and Victorian spiritualism, shining new light on a woman whose legacy has long been obscured.
Show notes:
About the book https://www.hexen.fr/blog-hexen/livres/aradias-hidden-hand-the-untold-life-of-roma-lister
The Thinkers Garden https://thethinkersgarden.com
Roma Lister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Lister
Charles G. Leland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_Leland
Aradia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aradiaorthe_Gospel_of_the_Witches
Doreen Valiente https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Valiente
Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
By Darragh Mason4.8
7676 ratings
In this episode of Spirit Box, I am joined by Dr Andrew Manns to discuss his forthcoming book, Aradia’s Hidden Hand: The Untold Life of Roma Lister (Hexen Press, September release).
The conversation explores Roma Lister’s overlooked role in Victorian spiritualism and the occult, from her collaborations with Charles Godfrey Leland—including her involvement in the famous Aradiamanuscript—to her contributions as a folklorist, occult writer, and mentor. Dr Manns traces her connections with Italian folk witchcraft and prominent figures such as Baroness Julia Rosencrantz, and her experimental blend of séances, folk magic, and Theosophy.
Andrew also shares fresh insights into Leland’s influence on modern witchcraft, particularly how Aradia shaped Doreen Valiente’s Wiccan rituals, as well as his own discovery of newly uncovered correspondences between Leland and Lister.
This is a show rich with the hidden histories of folklore, witchcraft, and Victorian spiritualism, shining new light on a woman whose legacy has long been obscured.
Show notes:
About the book https://www.hexen.fr/blog-hexen/livres/aradias-hidden-hand-the-untold-life-of-roma-lister
The Thinkers Garden https://thethinkersgarden.com
Roma Lister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Lister
Charles G. Leland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_Leland
Aradia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aradiaorthe_Gospel_of_the_Witches
Doreen Valiente https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Valiente
Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

3,423 Listeners

552 Listeners

761 Listeners

444 Listeners

1,287 Listeners

40 Listeners

1,348 Listeners

295 Listeners

600 Listeners

262 Listeners

355 Listeners

311 Listeners

691 Listeners

102 Listeners

11 Listeners